This invention relates to a method of producing a novel monokaryotic mycelium from Coriolus versicolor (Fr.) Quel. which is a known Basidiomycete belonging to the genus Coriolus of family Polyporaceae.
The usefulness of the polysaccharides obtained from extraction of Coriolus versicolor (Fr.) Quel. or culture thereof as a base component for preparation of medical drugs or foods and drinks has become acknowledged recently, and various techniques for producing such Basidiomycete by artificial culture in a high yield have been proposed. Nevertheless, there is not yet available an advantageous method capable of propagating the Basidiomycete in a high yield.
In the course of our study aimed at realizing high-yield propagation of Coriolus versicolor (Fr.) Quel., we found that when this Basidiomycete is subjected to submerged culture while performing a mechanical treatment such as grinding or shearing in a liquid medium, the Basidiomycete loses clamp connection, which is its intrinsic morphological characteristic, and is changed into a monokaryotic mycelium, and that the thus formed monokaryotic mycelium is stable and also has a unique characteristic in its extremely high in propagation rate as compared with the known dikaryotic mycelium.